1. Field of the Invention
An adjustable height water drinking fountain includes a generally horizontal water drinking fountain body having front and rear ends, and an upper surface containing a water collecting basin. The fountain body is pivotally connected at its rear end with a vertical support for pivotal movement about a horizontal pivot axis. A normally closed water supply valve is operable to supply water to a faucet adjacent the basin via a supply conduit, and a drain pipe serves to remove water from the basin. Each of the water supply and drain conduits includes at least one flexible portion to permit the pivotal movement of the fountain body, whereby the fountain body can be pivoted upwardly of downwardly from a normal horizontal position for use by a standing person or by a person seated in a wheel chair.
2. Description of Related Art
Adjustable height water fountains and the like are well known in the prior art. In the early (1898) Heineken U.S. Pat. No. 599,706, a holder is disclosed for adjusting a wash basin to various heights. In the Brown U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,609, the water fountain is provided with a push bar actuating device for operation by a user in a wheelchair. Note also the public toilet facility for use by a person in a wheelchair, as set forth in the White et al U.S. Pat. No. 5,647,074. In the Rasmussen U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,276, the wash basin is pivotally connected for angular adjustment relative to a fixed support, and the Peck U.S. Pat. No. 6,711,757 teaches a portable fluid dispensing device having a vertically adjustable sink.
The use of conventional drinking fountains, and the fixed mounting heights thereof, have historically been in response to nationally recognized building code requirements and in particular the Americans with Disability Act (ADA). On Jul. 28, 1991, the Federal Government published the ADA in the federal register Volume 56, No. 144. In particular, Paragraphs 4.1.3 (10), 4.15 and 4.27.4 of the ADA—Accessibility Guidelines (ADA-AG) discuss drinking fountains. The U.S. Department of Justice published the final rule which revises the regulations that implement the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) with an enforcement date of Mar. 15, 2012. The new federal accessibility standards will be known as the 2010 Standards for Accessible Design (SAD).
No patented prior art has been noted for either vertically adjusted drinking fountains or vertically adjusted plumbing devices that completely anticipate the invention.